James Webb Space Telescope - NASA Science (2024)

FAQs

What is the science behind the James Webb telescope? ›

Webb's near-infrared wavelengths can look into dusty stellar nurseries to study very young stars. Webb's mid-infrared wavelengths will study the dust itself, and how those environments contribute to the formation, evolution, and diversity of stars and planetary systems.

Webb Shows Many Early Galaxies Looked Like Pool Noodles, Surfboards. Researchers analyzing images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found that galaxies in the early universe are often flat and elongated, like surfboards and pool noodles – and are rarely round, like volleyballs or frisbees.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a giant leap forward in our quest to understand the Universe and our origins. Webb is examining every phase of cosmic history: from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to the evolution of our own solar system.

Before 1999, astronomers had estimated that the age of the universe was between 7 and 20 billion years. But with advances in technology and the development of new techniques we now know the age of the universe is 13.7 billion years, with an uncertainty of only 200 million years.

No, NASA Didn't Take Pictures of Heaven with the Hubble Space Telescope (or Any Other Telescope) In 2016, an image started circulating online reported to feature the gates of heaven nestled into a nebula.

The Moon is the only other place humans have visited. No other planet in our solar system currently has the conditions to support life as we know it on Earth. Even if scientists discover another habitable planet outside of our solar system, humans do not yet have the technology to visit it.

Planet Mars is believed to contain three most essential requirement of life i.e., Chemical building blocks abundance , source of water and a source of energy as volcanoes . Thus, it is expected that apart from earth Mars is the planet which can cater life.

Observations from the ground and from space have confirmed thousands of planets beyond our solar system. Our galaxy likely holds trillions. But so far, we have no evidence of life beyond Earth.

This is an artist's concept of the exoplanet GJ 9827d, the smallest exoplanet where water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere. The planet could be an example of potential planets with water-rich atmospheres elsewhere in our galaxy.

A new "super-Earth" has been discovered in a nearby solar system's habitable zone, according to NASA. The planet, designated as TOI-715 b, is "about one and a half times as wide as Earth" and in a system that is only a measly 137 light-years from Earth.

How long is the James Webb telescope expected to last? ›

The telescope is designed to last at least five and a half years (six months calibration plus five years science operations), but with a goal of ten years. The limiting factor is expected to be fuel to maintain its halo orbit, of which there is enough for at least ten years.

The James Webb Space Telescope cost taxpayers $10 billion. For that considerable sum, we've recently been treated to some spectacular photos of the cosmos. Judging by the comments of my friends, the reaction to these views has been wonder, even if few know their scientific significance.

By viewing the universe at infrared wavelengths Webb is now showing us things never before seen by any other telescope. It is only at infrared wavelengths that we can see the first stars and galaxies forming after the Big Bang.

It covers longer wavelengths of light than Hubble and has greatly improved sensitivity. The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look further back in time to see the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, and to peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.

In space, the Webb Observatory will not reside precisely at the L2 point but will slowly rotate around it twice per year in a loop that is even bigger than the Moon's orbit around the Earth.

Webb has two main cameras onboard! Its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures shorter wavelengths of infrared light. Its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) captures longer wavelengths of infrared light. When applying color to images from MIRI, STScI's imaging specialists follow the principles outlined above for NIRCam.